GSTEP at UGA News

Profile: Barbara Greyson, Appalachee High School Teacher of the Year

For our final issue of GSTEP News, we could not find a more suitable person to profile than Barbara Greyson, a truly amazing teacher from Barrow County, one of our GSTEP partner school systems. Her initial involvement with GSTEP began when she served as an original member of the GSTEP Beginning Teacher Panel which assisted with the initial development of the BRIDGE. Barbara was recently honored as Appalachee High School Teacher of the Year and is a key player in efforts to take GSTEP and the BRIDGE into the future. Read on to learn more about this GSTEP gem.

How did you become an educator?

Some of my educator friends tell me that from the time they were little, they wanted to be teachers. But for many of us, our career/professional path has taken twists and turns. I grew up knowing that I loved science. I didn’t think seriously about being a teacher until I was given a teaching assistantship at The University of Georgia. I was 21 years old, with no teaching experience and barely older than my students but was teaching microbiology lab classes. It is funny now that I think back about it, but that first experience hooked me, and I haven’t looked back.

What classes do you teach?

I currently teach all levels of biology at Apalachee High School. I have also taught environmental science, science technology and society, and physical science. I believe that science is something that we experience and is best learned by doing. I try to show my students how interesting and relevant science is in their lives. Lab activities are utilized almost every day in all of the science classes at Apalachee as a way of actively engaging students. My students build cell models, act out biological processes like photosynthesis and mitosis, write poems and rap songs about cells, and read novels about biological science (such as The Hot Zone or The Double-Helix). They also debate the application of genetic engineering and cloning. We collect and classify plant specimens, and write children’s books about animals. Hands-on activities and labs allow students to really experience science and become active participants in the learning process.

What is your role with GSTEP and how did you get involved? Describe what it is like to see the BRIDGE now.

I first became aware of GSTEP when I was asked to serve on a new teacher panel that was looking at certain aspects of the BRIDGE. We met about once a month to look with “new teacher eyes” at the clarity of certain sections. This was when I became familiar with the framework of the BRIDGE. When I served on this panel over two years ago I was impressed at the magnitude of the project. Now I am even more impressed to see what a fantastic resource the BRIDGE has become. How wonderful to be able to access peer-reviewed activities and articles without having to sift through random web sites on the Internet. Also, when educators have important research or activities that they want to share with one another, the BRIDGE is a great place to have these published.

Tell us about your family.

My husband Justin Hanel and I have been living in Athens for 7 years and have a Siamese cat named Daisy. Justin is a research scientist who develops vaccines. I met him while I was in a college biology lab. His partner passed out during the dissection so he joined my group! The rest was history… or chemistry.

Whom do you admire most?

The person I admire the most is my father Joseph Greyson who has always loved me unconditionally. He is patient, kind, and has lived by example that anything worth doing, is worth doing 110%. That example is what I think about every time I walk into my classroom.